rapturerebornmmorpgfandomcom-20200216-history
Part 157
Sitemap '--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ' Whole Lots More Fabulous Items/Ideas For a BioShock Rapture MMORPG '--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ' Part 157 ' --- --- --- --- --- --- '''Obsession ( From that Promotional There's Somethging In The Sea and Subsequent BS2 Events) ': Just think, instead of the storyline of Mark Meltzer's obsession with following those Kidnappings, he took up another hobby - say Model Trains, he would not have had that trip to the loonie bin, not destroyed his marriage, not had his child kidnapped by a freak in a diving suit and then turned into a "little ghoul" mutant, AND not been changed into a cyborg slave to later be killed by US (the Player) in a dysfunctional undersea city ... There's a lesson in that for all of us.... --- --- --- '''Vigor Me This, Batman ... 1960s Batman Riddler : 1) All those 'Vigors' which don't seem all that useful for everyday activities (just killing people or cheating vending machines). 2) They don't much seem to have been sold much at all (possibly because if #1), or be used by the Police themselves (if those Vox were as bothersome as they were supposed to be - except that would nullify that plot element of a Anarchist Rebellion going on menacing the City) 3) Funny to have dangerous Vigors in Vending Machines so easy for the Murderous Vox to obtain ??? (Even if they don't have the money they just break into the machines , no ?) Pretty damned stupid if you ask me. 3) Vigor development had to be paid for, but these Magic Potions just seem to have sprung forth without much explanation (retroactively in the DLC, they then get blamed on ADAM magically obtained from Rapture, and by turning Fink (or some lackey it might have been nice to hear about) into a Genetic Manipulation Genius and Engineer. 4) Freaky bottles that Willy Wonka might have produced (way too fancy for anything real). 5) Something useful like "Lobotomize Untermenschen" for controlling Columbia's Serfs might have been far more useful. --- --- --- Game Mechanics Limits of All kinds : The Problem with BS1 (2007) and also BS2 (made only a few years later) was the insufficient rendering resources for animated figures. More resources could have allowed scenes with more humans involved, including "neutrals" to be in the Players path (we see signs that Rapture is still occupied, but hardly by more figures than the target computer's processing power could handle for the firefights). Consider that years later (2013), when game machine capacity HAS increased for Infinite BS to use, there were the added bodies, but most were still stilted mannequins (when they weren't robot pawns rote-acting parts in one of the choreographed scenes). AI takes alot of CPU processing (and moreso programming skill), and that is still mostly missing in computer games. --- --- --- WHY Columbia Needs (ADAM) Magic Potions is a Bit Of A Mystery ' : First 'Vigors' granted abilities to carry out actions used to control and punish 'workers', and other lowerlings, who weren't happily 'hard at work', or showing insufficient sincere feeling of gratitude for the Prophet's daily inspirational speeches. How much more inducement might be instilled by these mysterious god-like powers held by their masters ? * "Crack That Whip" * "Chokehold" * "20 Lashes" * "Move Faster There, Boy" * " No Sassin' " * "Thought Crime" * "No Bog Breaks for the Wicked" * "Fear is Good", and its Upgrade "Intimidation" * "Lectro-Prod" * "Fear OF God" (use sparingly, as the target wont be any good for work the rest of the day) --- --- --- '''CASH still R$ ??? ' : Big Daddies do seem to have alot of money on them. Perhaps its one of the 'incentive' schemes to motivate whats left of their minds. There do still seem to be various snacks in the vending machines -- even in the crappy chaotic parts of Rapture which WE go through in the games (BS1/BS2). In the better more stable parts of Rapture perhaps money is still used, but with those higher prices to compensate for fewer people and all the money which would have still been laying around Rapture. It would facilitate the MMORPG to have a monetary system with a medium of exchange, so that Players don't have to Barter for everything (both bothersome for the Players and complicated/difficult for the programmers to implement for the NPCs). --- --- --- '''Infinite BS Hype : Art book, a Podcast, and some other Video - In Infinite BS's outside game promotional stuff they talked endlessly about : * The game was going to have a Skyline as a real 'Wow' effect game element (and more free movement), and which served a purpose to get around Columbia (and wasn't just a circular rollercoaster part of an arena battle). * They talked about how significant their American History elements was to the plot. * Special Tear Effects in the main plot line done by Elizabeth (instead of meager canned props in arena battles), and not just some 'cop out' transition to a universe to get past a bad situation. * There were what seemed like more interactions in situations where the Player could make 'a choice'. * The gamemakers 'patting themselves on the back' for thousands and thousand of lines of their 'scripting' of NPCs, WHEN in the walkthru segment (and various other places) they were just the same tired Mannequin NPCs, who just do a little song and dance and then became the standard dull and unresponsive objects. Point being , what they show/talk about outside the game is one thing, what actually was delivered in the actual game was another. --- --- --- Rapture Construction Water Pressure and Permeability : It may not be commonly known, but water at high pressure is an active element in movement of water penetrating through things like concrete, which are thought to be solid. Water pressure even forces gases through seemingly impermeable materials like glass (very slowly). Other chemicals which accelerate corrosion likewise are moved by such a water flow (important factor for the embedded reinforcement bars (Rebar) that are part of the structural concrete). The pressure also changes the nature of chemical reactions which can greatly accelerate corrosion and weaken those materials. At my plausible Rapture's (nominal base floor) depth at around 600 feet, the outside water there generates pressure of 280 lb per square inch (20X surface atmosphere pressure). (( compared to typical household tap water pressure is something around 60 psi )) Steel Rebar in concrete immersed in Salt Water needs special coatings/plating to resist corrosion long term (or be made out of some less corrosion-prone substance for the structural reinforcement - aluminum still corrodes, but does so slower). In the case of actual leaks, water under this much pressure will shoot out of the hole into the interiors lower pressurization. Such a hole, if of any significant size, will produce an inflood of water that can fill up the interior volume quite quickly. At 20 atmospheres, the water will collapse any air pocket into 1/20th of is original volume. Anyone caught in such compression would suffer nitrogen narcosis, and if they are rescued (returned back into a lower pressure area), they can instantly suffer a fatal case of "The Bends" - having the gases dissolved in their blood vaporizing (bubbling) and clogging their body's entire blood stream. SO measures to prevent and contain all leaks and control seepage is an VERY important component of Rapture's construction. Sumps at lower levels would exist to contain/collect the continuous SLOW seeping inflow, and pumps to remove the liquid. This would be in every building. Most external walls should have a layer of collectors and vapor barriers, protecting the interior spaces from high humidity. --- --- --- Pressure Effects (Original Concept For Rapture - Attempting to Redo SystemShock) : Pressure Inside was to close to the outside Water Pressure - The buildings then DONT have to be built so massively strong (not built like Nazi WW2 'Fortress Europa' Bunkers). Unfortunately the pressure in different parts would vary significantly (depth different of 30 feet results in ONE Whole Atmosphere of pressure). SO verticality of the inhabited spaces would be a problem. They had some interesting atmospheric effects planned, until they learned the limitations of the Third-Party Game Engine they planned to use. - IF Ambient Pressure was used, Transitioning between inside and outside (in the water) would likewise be simplified (instead of needing airlocks with very strong vault-like doors). Windows likewise wouldn't have to be 2 feet thick. The same problem though existed if you move up or down (depth) in the water - the varying pressure (1 atmosphere difference for about each 30 feet) would have significant effect. - If Rapture had had such high pressure areas (like they considered originally), then the denser air would make the Flybots alot easier to actually work. As it is in normal air, they have to be quite lightweight to do anything like what they are shown to do. Limited duration because of weight of fuel. Air under high pressure also reacts chemically different - flames can get alot more oxidizer, so burn almost explosively. Of course whoever visited Rapture would have to adapt or wear cumbersome pressure suits (the original plan was for far greater mutation of the inhabitants (more alien), which was probably quashed because of the game animation difficulties of people who are only half anthropomorphic (Tentacles are HARD to animate well). --- --- --- Construction Vapor Barriers for Concrete : Concrete sweats water/dampness - also there is Cold wall condensation. There would be false walls with 'collectors' on the INSIDE of external 'cold' walls - with drainage to sumps lower in the building (using gravity flow), and the necessary pumping apparatus (back out into the ocean - high pressure pumps working against the ~280 lb/sq in). Cold external surface assists in dehumidifying air. Maintenance needs to be able to get to these collectors to handle the mold/dirt that is likely to form there. This will probably be one of the 'Tasks' in the MMORPG for the Player to do. --- --- --- One Bright And Sunny Day : Bright sunlight in Columbia - adding that 10000 ft (or more?) of altitude (Hmm, skin cancer and retinal degeneration - great fun). Lots of awnings needed (as seen in so many old pictures of real cities where it gets 'sunny') Sunglasses (shades are cool...) Umbrellas/big hats Bright but probably not hot (its real cold at altitude - but intense sunlight poring through a window ...) Windblocks on the beach (like they do in German Resorts on the North Sea) and that cold water to swim in (Brrrrrr). How fast does Columbia move (check that route map seen in the Lighthouse)? Any appreciable rate will cause 'wind' in Columbia and with all the weird building shape also cause various vortices and turbulences. Note - That if/when Columbia moves, the light doesn't always come in at the same direction unless they to correct for it (there's no front that goes first or it all would turn, complicating whatever unseen 'drive' mechanism is used ...) --- --- --- Radio Msg From Fontaine : (( Remember That Atlas Is A Liar )) About Genetic Security] stuff * Jack would only have half of Ryan's genes. So whatever its detecting, is somewhet limited (As Sullivan mentions in his Audio Diary GEnetic Whazits * But if that was so, then shouldn't the active security have 'cut Fontaine in half' long before too ?? * You don't see the Splicers having quite that much trouble with them either (before YOU "Hack" the security devices and turn them against YOUR Splicer opponents). * Why exactly are Ryan's Splicer immune til you do that ?? * How exactly is this "genetic" detection working to differentiate for so many individuals of them too ??? (Ryan's Splicers vs Fontaine's Splicers - before the 'Pheromone Control' probably required to have alot of the Security systems disabled because of the risk killing the wrong Splicers/Ryan's Men, etc.., * They may not have been normally used in the remaining safer/normal parts of Rapture). * Probably have the automatics used in "No Go Zones" with such indiscriminant 'genetic' detections. Perhaps much of the device control was really a Non-Splicer in a security booth somewhere, manually controlling/guiding (remote control) the security to give it the necessary 'smarts' (as was probably done in the early days to prevent slaughtering Citizens by mistake). So it wasn't quite as effective as Fontaine makes them out to be (maybe Fontaine has to convince himself that all that complicated costly effort he put into 'Ace in The Hole' was actually worth it, instead of doing something far simpler. OR it is just another part of his lies (he's "HELPING" you - remember?? Despite YOU doing all the work and many all the things HE aught to be able to do himself ...) --- --- --- Infinite Pop Psycho Drama : Lady Comstock becomes a Siren because Zachary Comstock built a siphon into her tomb to sap Elizabeth's powers. (( '' Huh ? Some Creepy backwards 'Electra Complex' goin on here ??? '' )) The reason Lady Comstock is an evil, zombie-resurrecting Ghost is because she was exposed to a huge amount of Elizabeth's raw power (OK and we have to ask : Who else was also, or should have been ???). She is a whole pile of different Lady Comstocks ripped through time and space and crammed into the corpse laying on the slab - That's likely to make anyone cranky. (( '' A common thing in games of this sort - happens on the Simpsons all the time, in Pokemon, and in that Fallout game '' )). Its kindof like a Candy Crush game logic .... sorta. Elizabeth states that her own abilities are a form of 'wish fulfilment', and The Siren's destructive nature is probably built out of Liz's worst feelings towards her mother (( '' But shouldn't that all be VISITED UPON HER MOTHER rather than empowering an opponent? Is it rather more a projection of the Evil within the Revenge-Seeking god girl ??? - a Mirror into herself ??? '' )) - And the Boys of Silence in Comstock House ? You travel through a Tear into a dystopian future where Elizabeth has become her fathers successor (( '' Ooh that psycological 'Becoming Your Father thing ... '' or is it 'Daddy's Little Girl with an added electro lobotomy in the mix )). '' So things are hardly going to be sunshine and ponies. The Asylum security system is made up of people ('boys' and psychos) who have been displaced from time and space, hence the way they blur in and out of reality while banging their heads against the walls. (( '' The Mentally Ill as valid kill targets ?? Oh NO Kenny You though THAT was appropriate ??? '' )) It's supposed to be creepy, and its supposed to show you just how bad Elizabeth could be. Our pretty little girl (A whole separate psycho-angle there worked upon the Players) was shocked and appalled when we killed bad guys (hmmm) specifically to protect her. Elizabeth, who uses the Dead/Dying/Will-Die and mutilated children to protect her own home, is NOT our little girl... ('Except SHE IS') - It's ALL 'explained' well enough in-game (('NOT''' '' It all just happens 'CUZ'... It must be the Bigotry powering it all, no ? '' )). But why be picky about the lore in a FloatShit™ city powered by Quantumz Particles, in which people shoot fire out of their asses after drinking from strange bottles (( '' Another Magic Empowerment never really touched on story-wise in-game '' )), then there's no help for you. But, it is FUN to derisively belittle the writer's claims (and their self-back-patting) that the story/theme/setting IS all like historic reality, and fitting to demonstrate the writer's justice warrior agenda). BS. --- --- --- Addictive To The Player : Idea : Jack once he starts using ADAM starts being affected by it - driven in various ways to obtain more. And as he takes more, then he gets driven even more, and he deteriorates if he doesn't. There's nothing THAT interesting in BioShock - it would be hard to implement in the game which has rather simplistic mechanisms. That might be an interesting affect in the MMORPG where you GET affected (or you do when you play a Splicer). Visual effects (your vision as presented) and shaky movements/tremors, and maybe some un-initiated screaming. Your addiction should be demonstrated, even though the pain and incessant need really cant be felt (you start hearing little whispers telling you the pain will stop when you get some of the tasty ADAM). Substitutions only delay/slow the need. - Thought : Can you get (some) ADAM from drinking another splicers Blood? I smell a whole 'nuther facet for the MMORPG game. --- --- --- The Vita-Chamber, Restore Vigor and Spirit with the Touch of a Button ! ''' : Vigor ... Spirit ... Chamber ... Butt ... Touchy Feeley ... There you go ... MOST of Infinite BS's story came from that one Advertising Sign in Rapture. A Store ... (and the BaSx DLC too !!!) Humor --- --- --- '''Cable Is As Cable Does : The Bathyspheres, being on a Cable : It probably was (should be at minimum) for the travel up to the Lighthouse (First as Immigrant Transport, then as a Tourist thing), which was later curtailed (Though getting up there really didn't do alot of good for anyone trying to escape because where would you THEN go ?? But that didn't stop people from trying.) More important was : The LightHouse Bathysphere being a much used path, that should have a dedicated system to speed up the turn around (likewise have the Station directly below to eliminate that unneeded bend (in game just for reveal scene) which meant a significant delay to get passengers down -- the trip being twice as long as it needed to be. ) --- --- --- Wow !!! Gauges and other Indicators that Actually Work (in MMORPG) ... ' : Not just canned animation on a prop (watch those gauge needles on the various machines in the Solo games). Gotta have a few maintenance "Missions" checking important environmental systems. A Zoom View for those not overly large gauges. Whole panels of Gauges and Knobs and Switches and Indicator lights !!!! (and labeling) Fairly simple Assets, and scripting of their behaviors (alot of it would be Templated). A variety of gauges and controls, many standardized (though the measurement face and label can be custom to its purpose - a bit like those 'widget' indicators people have on their computers). They (as objects) would tie-in to something else -- whatever they are an indicator for. --- --- --- '''An Illogical "Shanty Town" ' : In the Police State that Ken Levine has made Columbia into, little public opposition would be allowed. 'Shanty Town' would be more like a prison, well regimented and patrolled/controlled and forced to be cleaned-up/made-tidy by the inmates. Informers would be everywhere, and no dissent by the thralls would be allowed to offend the 'pureness' of Columbia in any way. A more frightful experience for the Player might have been : Walking thru this place and seeing the forced (mandated/pained) smiles on every one of the faces of the oppressed. Grumbling might be heard hidden away and in whispers, lest the whisperer wind up hanging on the local scaffold ( or simply just be 'disappeared' - "One Way Ticket To Hell" - a 10000 foot plunge, or worse - being sent to Fink's rumored 'experiments'). There is no need for a flying slum when the 'poor' can be so easily coerced into making their prison 'pretty' and proper and OBEDIENT. --- --- --- '''Columbia's Laundry Wagons (At Least for the "White" People) : pix ?? No doubt there would be a 'Chinese' laundry, which could be the only possible reason to allow 'those heathens' aboard Columbia. The laundry would be owned and run by a 'white' of course in Columbia. Those Worship Robes must be BRIGHT white - there is an ordinance requiring that, and penalties if it is not followed. You probably don't really want to know where the 'bleach' which is used comes from. - So many things the demented disjoint transportation arrangements make rather difficult in Columbia (stairs, gaps, having to wait while bits of the city float around to connect, etc...). We didnt see many 'serfs' porting packages or manhandling larger items around the city, did we? But Columbia is 'pretty' and 'awesome' in the way that game landscapes that don't actually have to function can be. --- --- --- Game Engine Stuff Rendering "Impostors" (In Game Computer Graphics) : No, not like Fontaine pretending to be 'Atlas' ... Its a graphics Optimization technique. In a game when you want to/need to save on Graphics Rendering resources, the program can substitute simpler/simplified 2D Assets for things seen at a distance (often only a texture "Billboard" object image at extreme range) -- used when their finer detail is not visible : textures and the geometry of 3D Mesh and facet lighting effects(shaders), and eliminating rendering of sub-parts of Animated figures/objects (simplification). Sufficiently distant scenes might be converted into a texture 'view' (done in segments to create a temporary 'Skybox/Skydome), to be created and drawn WHILE the Player stays within a small area -- where the view of distant objects doesn't change (particularly windows). Now in the MMORPG, the Player's terrain setting (their view) can change frequently (changed by the Player's movement/actions for example). An attempt is to be made to keep things (even distant ones) looking as real (reflecting their current state) as possible. This can require periodic updates for any Cached Assets of this type, as things there change (Rebuilding the distant 'view' once a second instead of 30 (or more) times a second can be a big savings). Things which are unseeably dim with distance (through water) will simply not have to be drawn (the trick is techniques for figuring out which things these are). Most of the previous BioShock Rapture games' external water views (seen out external windows) were not really possible - distances couldn't to be so well lit as they appeared. Much wouldn't be visible, and wouldn't need to be drawn. Drawn animations of a too-distant complex Object (ie- a human figure) does not have to include the smaller sub-parts (fingers/face details/equipment/complex textures). When distant enough, their geometries can be significantly simplified (Level Of Detail stages). Static Objects and terrain likewise can be simplified with distance to ease their demand on rendering resources which the Client program would require (and allow more concentration on the many closeup objects). - That brings up the MMORPGs various graphical setting controls. MMORPGs are usually run on a very wide range of Player machine specifications (GPU capabilities). Whereas this game's maximum detail mode would be pushing the performance of a (future) high-powered gaming PC machine, it still needs the ability to run on less god-like hardware as well. Techniques which can be controlled by degree : * Excluding the drawing of terrain and animated objects beyond a radius distance * Distance for mid-range objects which are to be simplified (texture detail, shadow/lighting effects) * Skipping complex face animations when the Player isn't in a focused view * Eliminating advanced lighting effects (the MMORPG would have more of this than recent games because of the many more dynamic objects) --- --- --- Glitz (Sander Cohen Had It, Other People Wanted it !!) ''' : Just imagine Sofia Lamb putting on a stage production ... Hehe that would be a good one for the MMORPG -- where presenting the truly/properly lame and awful is more challenging that the pretty/awesome. Think "Springtime for Hitler"The Producers (or more appropriately Stalin Serenade Major Mass-Murdering Collectivist), except done seriously ... Appalling goodness (choreographed song and dance numbers using the Stage Direction Tools.) --- --- --- '''Quantum This Kennyboy : One possible Idea for Infinite BS could have been having lots of story outcomes -- AFTER ALL, the whole ESSENCE of Quantum Theory is the in-determinant state and different outcomes upon being 'observed' (as in replayed - something the game had little opportunity for). And NOT just a few 'canned' endings like the previous BioShock games, but significantly different play throughout the WHOLE game. It is not something that is easy to do correctly, its quite difficult to make happen even when it is designed for. So maybe a (MMORPG Tool) REDO to make the game Infinitely-Less-BS, having all kinds of weird endings (and Middles - them being their own 'state' resolutions too). This, to *FINALLY* meet the whole 'quantum' concept's OBVIOUS POTENTIAL (instead of a steaming pile). You can add lots of inconsequential variation Fluff throughout the game (easy, but costs to do). There were hints of some fluff aspects being intended in Infinite BS (that Flying vs Caged stuff), but whatever it was to be it added up to nothing. Find the talk about randomizing all kinds of game elements for replay Levine&Co couldn't really have done this anyway for Infinite BS because they wasted so much resources on rewrites and various messups (decoherence in the whole project), so much that they couldn't deliver properly on a simple LINEAR plot. Anyway, You wouldn't get anywhere near as many result possibilities as you would NEED to do it right (though with $200 million spent you'd think they might have done alot better -- BUT that ship has sailed and sank). --- --- --- --- --- . . .